Annual Ewing Lecture to focus on freedom

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Lycoming College History Department will welcome Dr.
Edward Ayers, president of the University of Richmond, for the 40th annual
Ewing Lecture. His presentation, â€œWhere Did Freedom Come From,â€ is scheduled
for Tuesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall. The event is free and open to the
public.

Ayers is one of the countryâ€™s preeminent historians of the American Civil
War and the New South. He taught at the University of Virginia for more than 20
years, where he was recognized for outstanding teaching by the Carnegie Foundation,
the state of Virginia and the American Historical Association. He later served
as dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He has been
Richmondâ€™s president since 2007.

He is the author or editor of 10 books, one of which, In the Presence of
Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863, won the prestigious
Bancroft Prize awarded by the American Historical Association.

Ayers earned a
bachelorâ€™s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1974 and a
Ph.D. from Yale University in American studies in 1980. He joined the faculty at
Virginia in fall 1980. In 1993, he was named the Hugh P. Kelly Professor of
History at UVA, and in 2001 became the Buckner W. Clay Dean of the College and
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

His presentation
will mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The
Ewing Lecture
Series
was established in 1973 when Robert H. Ewing, for whom it is named, retired
after 27 years of teaching at Lycoming. His life was characterized by a deep
religious faith, a passion for history and a strong devotion to a liberal arts
education. These qualities touched the lives of all who came in contact with
him and led his many friends to contribute to the Ewing fund to establish this
series.

Lycoming College
is a four-year, residential liberal arts and sciences school dedicated to the
undergraduate education of 1,400 students. Its rigorous academic program,
vibrant residential community and supportive faculty foster successful student
outcomes. Lycoming offers 36 academic majors and is recognized as a Tier 1
institution by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1812 and located near
the banks of the Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one of the
50 oldest colleges in the nation. For more
information, visit www.lycoming.edu.